Hook positioner



WILLIS T. HURST, OF PITTSBURGH, PE

NNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO SLAG ROCK MACHINE COMPANY, A CORFORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.'

nook P0 Specification of Letters Patent.

sITIoNna.

- Patented Aug. 1, 192.2.

Application filed March 31, 1920. Serial No. 370,207.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, TWILLIs 1 House a resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in a Hook Positioner, of which the following is a specification. i I

In manufacturing plants where it is necessary to move articles by cranesy difiie culty is experienced in bringing the crane hook into proper engagement with the article to be moved. This is particularly true in plants where large containers of highly heated molten material must be engaged by a crane hook, as for example ladies used in the handling of hot metal orgla'ss. Ladies containing such molten material are usually very hot and hence uncomfortable a1- a workman to approach. Als'o, there is a certain amount of danger involved in stand ing close by such a ladle because of the possibility of an unforeseen disturbance of the molten material causing it to overflow or splash.

' The object of this invention is to providea crane hook positioner which will receive a crane hook and which when such hook is in position for engaging the article tobe moved, will move the hook into such engagement. e a

Theinvention 'isillustrated in the accompanying drawings as adapted to attach a crane hook to a ladle adapted to contain moltenmetal, such as iron from a blast furnace, although will be understood that the invention is applicable to other spe cific uses. Fig l isa combined elevation of the end of a ladle supported on a truck and vertical sectional view of the crank'hook positioner adjacent to the ladle, a crane hook also being illusrated in elevation just above the positioner Fig. 2 a combined plan and sectional view taken on the line Il-Il. F 1; Fig. 3 a le-ftside view of the positioner as seen in Fig. 1, and Figs. 4 and 5 detail views of the positioner in which the parts are indicated indiil'erent relative positions which they assume when ii operation. The hook positioner comprises movable me be adap d. to e ei e. a a a latchnr locking mernber adapted 'to hold the liookrreceivin'g member in position for receiving the hook. The movable'member is n r al y u ge towards th ar cle which it isdesired to attach the crane hook}, and, when the hook has been received by the movable member, the latch is adapted to be released by the hook so that the movable member mav move to cause the hook to engage the articledesired to be moved by the crane.

As previously stated the invention finds particular applicability to the attaching of a crane hook to a ladle. In the drawings there is illustrated a ladle 1 supported by a truck 2 provided with end frames fl, upon each of which there is formed a pair of bearings 5 and 5 which form trunnion sup or the other of which may be engaged by a" crane hook for the purpose of swinging the. bottom of the ladle outwardly and upwardly on one of its pairs of trunnion s.upv ports 5 and 5. For example, if it is de sired'to swing the ladle on the axis of its,

pins 3, a crane hook "I, is attachedto the lug 6, and. as the hook is raised the bottom of the ladle swings outwardly, the end of the hook describing an arc the center of which is the center oi the pin Operations of this sort take place for example. when a ladle of molten iron is brought to a posigtionin which the iron is poured into a runner leading to a pig-iron casting machine.

While the hook positioner may be con" structed in other ways to operate in the manner explained above, the movable member preferably comprises a block 8 pivoted at one side, as at 9, to a suitable support 10, and provided on its other side with a hook-receiving guideway 11, which may be flared outwardly, or bell-shaped, at. its top as seen particularly in Fig. 3. The weight of'the block 8 and the position of its pivot point 9 with reference to the center'of gravity of the block are such as to normally urge the block downwardlyand outwardly towards the ladle. ing the block upwardly in hook-receiving position. consists of a latch 12, pivoted. at 13 to the support 10, and provided with a The means illustratedfor hold counter-weight 14; which tends to hold the a sitions illustrated in l.

to the lu gives sutficient' leeway finger in upward position in engagement with a notch 19 formed on the lower edge of I the block 8. The latch 12 is provided with a face 15 extending horizontally at the bottom of the guideway 11 in a position to be struck by the lower end of the crane hook-'7.

I weight of the hook, acting through one side weight of the swinging of the pivot 13 ot the latch causes the latch to swing upon. its pivot so as to be released from itsengagement of the :detent or notch 19 of-tlre block The result is that the block swings upon its pivot 9 downwardly and outwardly toward the ladle lug 6. The block is sufiicicnt to cause the crane hook to move towards the ladle, and to holdit in hooking positiomthe relative positions of the several parts: in this stage of the operation being indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4. The hook is then raised by the craneman, and as it rises it engages the lug 6, as shown in full lines in Fig. 5, and swings the ladle 1 on its pivot pin 3, the circular are through which the hook passes being indicated by the line 16, Fig. 1. The outward and upward swinging of the ladle causes the rear side of the hook to bear against the block 8 and raise it to a position in which. the latch 12 may. swing beneath the block into engagement with the notch 19 to lock the block in the position shownin Fig. 1.

After the metal has been poured from the ladle, the ladle is returned to its normal po.

:sitionupon the truck 2, the crane hook 7 in no way interfering with the set position of the block 8 and latch 12. The book is then lowered slightly so that it will swing free of the lug 6, but will not strikethe face 1.5 of the latch 12, and thereafter the book may be readily moved upwardly through the guideway 11.

Iclaimz- 1. The combination with a suspended verticallyand laterally movable crane-hook, of

means broughtinto action by descent of the crane hook to move the hook laterally'into engagement with an ob'ieet to be lifted.

.2. A crane-hook positioner, comprising a movable hook-receiving and moving memher, andmeans releasable by the movement" of a'crane hook for normally holdingsaid memberin hook-receiving position.

3. A crane-hook positioner, comprising a of said block and hold tion with itsguideway lying in'a 'substanmovable hook-receiving and moving member, and a latch for normally holding said mem-' ber in hook-receiving position, said latch being releasable by a crane-hook as it moves downwardly, and said member being restored to hook-receiving position by said hook as it moves upwardly.

4-. The combination with a crane hook, .ot a crane hook positioner comprising a movable hook-receiving and moving member normally urged laterally and a latch for holding said member in hook-receiving position, said latch being. releasable by travel. of the -crane-hook to permit said member to move said hook laterally.

5. The combination. wlth a cranehook, of

a crane-hook positioner comprising a pivoted hook-receiving and moving block normallyurged laterally by its weight, and a pivoted counterweighted latch for holding said block in hook-receiving position, said latch beingreleasable by'a crane hook as it moves downwardly, and'said block being moved upwardly to latched position by the crane hook as the'hook moves upwardly.

downwardly-urged pivotally mounted mem ber provided with a guideway, a movable latch for holding said tially vertical position, said'latch being releasable by'a cranehook to permitsaid member to turn downwardly on its pivot point and thereby move saidhook into engagement with an article to be moved. r p

7. A crane-hook positioner, comprising a block pivotally mounted at one side and provided on its opposite'side with a guide way, a pivotally mounted counterweighted latch adapted tov engage the lower portion it in elevated positially vertical position, said latch being provided witha horizontally extending face at the lower end of said guideway'whereby the latch may be released by the weight ofa crane-hook to permit said-block to turn downwardly on'its pivot point and thereby move said hook into engagement with an article to'be moved. I

8. .A crane-hook .positioner, comprising a hook-moving member movable to and from hook positioning position, and a latchnormally. holding said-member from said position, said latch being releasable bythe movement of a crane hook to permit saidmember to. move the hookinto engaging'position with an object to be movedby the crane.

9. A crane-hook positioner, comprising a member in .a substan 90, 6-. A. crane-hook .POSltlOIlBl, comprising'a hook-moving member movable'to and from and a latch normovementv of'a crane r member to move the hookinto engagingposition with an object to be movedby the 1 25 said member from 'saidpb crane, and said member being subsequently movable by the hook to a position to be again engaged by said latch.

10. A crane-hook positioner, comprising a hook-nioving member movable to and from hook-positioning position; and a latch normally holding said member from said position, said latch being provided with a face lying in the path of movement of a descending crane-hook and adapted to be engaged by said hook to release the latch to permit said member to move the hook into engaging position with an object to be moved by the hook.

11. A crane-hook positioner, comprising a hook-moving member movable to and from hook-positioning position, and a latch normally holding-said member from said position, said latch being provided with a face lying in the path of movement of a descending crane-hook and adapted to be engaged by said hook to release the latch to permit said member to move the hook into engaging position with an object to be moved by the hook, and said hook-moving member being provided with a face against which the hook bears on its upward movement and in consequence thereof moves said member to a position to be again engaged by said latch.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

WILLIS T. HURST. Witness:

. ALI0E A. TU'LL. 

